The invention relates to apparatus for use with a slatted floor and to a floor covering for placement on the individual slats of a slatted floor in an animal house for housing animals, such as but not exclusively bovines, pigs, sheep, deer and other animals which may be housed in buildings having slatted floors or kept on slatted floors located externally. The floor covering will be referred to in brief as a slat mat. The apparatus can be used with slats made from any material, for example concrete, metal, plastic or wood.
The invention relates to an improvement in the invention disclosed in International Patent Application No. PCT/EP 02/00274 dated Jan. 4, 2002 (Publication No. WO02/065831 A2) the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The floor covering of that apparatus comprises an elastomeric mat which is designed for cleanliness and enhanced protection and comfort for animals and includes an openable flap along both or one of the longitudinal edges of the mat to minimise the gap between adjacent slats of a slatted floor so as to reduce the emission of gases and fumes emanating from a waste collection tank beneath the floor while allowing waste matter to pass through the slatted floor to the tank.
The above mat is securable to an individual slat by screws which are securable in rigid strip(s) located at the base of the mat. While this method of securing a slat mat is very effective and strong, it is an object of the present invention to improve the method of installation.
Slatted floors are generally mounted over slurry collection tanks or floors that lead to slurry collection tanks which can hold slurry for prolonged periods of time. Therefore this leads to a major problem with the emission from the tanks of dangerous gases which would be injurious to the environment, and unpleasant odours from such tanks. This problem can give rise to difficulties for persons working in these areas and living adjacent to these areas and not to mention the animals themselves. In recent times pollution control authorities have begun to issue strict controls on these areas and to limit the number of animals which may be housed there. This obviously has large cost implications for the owners of such enclosures with regard to the numbers of livestock that can be housed.
A further object of the invention is to attempt to alleviate the problem of the emission of such gases and fumes and to reduce the upward air-drafts that the animals may be subjected to.